


Called: The New Hero of Light

by KAWebb



Series: Legend of Zelda: Twilight Queen [4]
Category: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-05
Updated: 2017-04-12
Packaged: 2018-10-15 03:04:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,074
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10548966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KAWebb/pseuds/KAWebb
Summary: Ber's been having dreams, and asks his healer mother for something to help him sleep. It turns out he's someone so much more important than he thought.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It's been a while, but here's a new part to the Twilight Queen series.

Dreams had plagued his sleep for weeks, and he was beginning to think he needed to do something about them. Ber, yawning, looked over at his mother. “Do you have anything I can use for a dreamless sleep?” She was the town healer, so if anyone would have anything it was her. The worry in her eyes as a reminder he normally wouldn’t have used anything at all, but things weren’t normal, and his dreams… they were more realistic than he was comfortable with. “I just want it for a couple of nights.”

“Why, Ber? It’s always best to talk these things through before you turn to anything to help you sleep.”

“I’ve been dreaming of things that just aren’t possible.” He looked at her. “Of me, going through places that can’t possibly exist.” He raked a hand through his hair. “I just want to sleep without dreaming, Mother.”

The way she looked back at him, this dawning understanding in her eyes, was slightly more worrying than he would have liked it to be. “If you’re having the dreams we need to talk.” She ran her tongue over her lips, looking uncertain. “You remember what happened before.”

He nodded. “Father doesn’t.”

“No, he doesn’t, because he isn’t like us. Until that happened I wasn’t sure you had inherited anything from me, but you have. That means something.” She shook her head. “I know I’m being cryptic, but things like this aren’t easy to talk about. There has been a Hero of Light in the past, and there was one who dealt with those problems we were having. For you to be dreaming of places that can’t exist the time has come for you to become that Hero.”

“Mother…”

“Look, I know how this sounds. If it wasn’t for the fact we went through what we did I wouldn’t have thought for a moment the story I was told by my mother was actually true. Now I don’t have a choice.” She reached out to take Ber’s hand. “You need to head for the castle, in Castle Town.”

Ber shook his head. “They aren’t going to believe a word I say.”

“If you’re needed they will. Trust me. The time has come for you to leave home, as much as I wish that wasn’t the case, and to fulfil a destiny I believed belonged to someone else.”

“Mother…”

“The journey is long. I’ll make sure you have plenty of food to take with you.”

“I’m not going anywhere. I have no proof what you’re telling me in real.”

“During your dream journeys have you found some unusual tools? Or weapons?”

“What do you mean by unusual?”

“That’s something only you will know, Ber. If you’ve been dreaming of the places I think you have, of the lost temples, then you’ll know exactly what I mean, and from the way you’re looking at me I’m certain you do.”

“None of those dreams are real.”

“Eventually they will be. Try to keep in mind what you dreamt, because it will help you when you’re there.”

“Mother…” That was the third time he’d said that, trailing off as he had no idea what he was about to say. Ber looked down at the table, remembering what it had been like to hold that boomerang he found, and shook his head. “Why me?”

“Oh, love, I have no idea. I wish I could give you a reason. All I know for certain is that you are needed, and I’ll do everything I can to make sure you have what you need for the journey ahead of you. It’s not going to be easy.”

“First I have to convince the castle guards that I’m not insane.” Ber stood, needing to move, and found himself pacing from one side of the kitchen to the other. “How am I meant to do that?”

“You won’t need to. You are the Hero of Light, and they will be expecting you. I just hope you aren’t too late to help with whatever the problem is.” His mother studied him. “How long have you been having the dreams?”

“A few weeks.”

“Then you need to move quickly. Get one of the horses saddled, and make sure it’s one of the fast ones.”

“Father…”

“I’ll deal with your father.”

“Does he know anything about who you are?”

“He does. We speak about everything, Ber, and he’ll understand when I tell him.”

For a long time Ber couldn’t say anything. He didn’t know what to say, or what to do. All he really knew was that he didn’t want to be the Hero of Light. That, unfortunately, didn’t seem to be a choice. Breathing deeply, trying to calm himself, he looked at his mother again. “You’re sure this is what I need to do?”

“I am.” She stepped closer to him. “I wouldn’t be sending you to Castle Town if I wasn’t certain.” Their eyes met. “Get the horse saddled. Take Shadow. He’s your best chance of being able to get all the way without anything happening to you.”

“You think something will?”

“If you’ve been called it means Hyrule is in danger again. The best thing you can do is be prepared for anything that might happen.” She nibbled her bottom lip. “There are weapons you can take too, although they aren’t as good as anything you might be able to borrow from the Queen.”

Just hearing that made Ber shiver. “I can’t do this.”

“Yes, you can. As you’ve been having the dreams you don’t have a choice. You can’t walk away from this. There is no one else.”

“There’s no way you can know that.”

“Ber, please, don’t fight me on this. I know enough to be certain you’re the only one. Go to Castle Town. Talk with the Queen. Find out what it is they need your help with.”

“How do you know enough?” Ber shook his head. “You haven’t explained anything to me.”

“I have something that will. I’ll put it in your bag.” She gently touched his hand. “If I’m wrong then you can come home, but I know I’m not.”


	2. Leaving Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ber is on his own, and travelling to Castle Town. Some thoughts on who he is.

Looking back was probably a mistake, but Ber couldn’t stop himself. Instead of following the path he always thought would be his he was riding off to fulfil a destiny he still couldn’t believe in. No matter what was said before he couldn’t get his head around the fact he was related to one of the heroes of the past, and that was why he, of all people, was dreaming of temples, and guardians, and weapons that didn’t seem like they could possibly be real. Sighing, he turned back, to face the direction he was meant to be riding in, his mind still on what his mother had said. She truly believed he was the one, the hero. He shook his head, spurring Shadow on, as he tried to convince himself he was doing the right thing. At least he could buy some of the things they needed from Castle Town before he went back to tell her he wasn’t the hero.

How could he be? Ber hated that the length of the journey gave him too much time to think. There were things that needed to be done, things he wouldn’t be there to do, because of the wild goose chase his mother had sent him on. Yet there was a journal in his back she said would explain why she thought he was the one. Then, of course, there was the fact he was one of the few people who could remember what it had been like during the dark time. Even thinking of it sent a shiver down his spine. Someone had saved them from being trapped that way for the rest of time, and that someone was the person who had to be the hero that was needed. Why wasn’t he the one riding towards Castle Town, in the hope he would be in time? Pushing those thoughts aside Ber told himself to focus on where he was going. He’d never get to Castle Town ‘in time’ if he wasn’t paying enough attention to where they were going.

As they rode Ber could feel something was different. It was impossible for him to tell exactly what it was, but the hairs on his arms were standing up slightly, the same way they had done before the darkness swept the world. Knowing then something bad was coming hadn’t helped. There had been nothing he could do to stop the darkness. Maybe, this time, there was something he could do. Maybe he was the one who was needed. Maybe… there were too many maybes, and not enough answers to the questions he kept asking himself. Going over and over them wasn’t going to help, yet that seemed to be all his mind was willing to do. Distracting himself with other thoughts didn’t work. Trying to come to some sort of conclusion as to who he was seemed more important.

Every step Shadow took was a step closer to Castle Town, and a step closer to Ber having the answers he needed. Only that didn’t change the fact the journey would take three days from home. Three very long days, unless he made the decision to ride during the night too, which would be dangerous. He shook his head. He wasn’t willing to put Shadow in danger in order to slow his journey. Instead it seemed like the better choice was to accept how long the journey would take, and try to find a way to fill that time with something useful. Anything at all that wasn’t him thinking the same things the entire way. Had he not known the dangers of not paying attention the journal would have been an option. Sighing, again, he found himself touching the journal, remembering how it looked when it was given to him.

The journal was old. It looked like it had been passed down from one generation to the next for a very long time, and Ber hadn’t been able to stop from opening the front cover. On the first page the owner had written ‘this is a true account of the Hero of Light, and his journey to save Hyrule from the darkness’. For a long time all Ber had been able to do was stare at those words. They were in a handwriting that was easy to read, so whoever it was knew how to write, or the person they’d asked to write it for them did. Something about the writing reminded him of his own. Then, nodding, he’d closed the journal, and put it into his bag with the rest of his things his mother insisted he take, including a sword and shield.

“From what I know they’ve been passed down from one generation to the next, in the same way the journal has.” Ber put his hand on the sword, as he thought of his mother’s words, and the way she’d handled the weapon. “I’ve looked after it for a long time, wondering if it would ever be used. I’m glad I made that choice. If anything untoward does happen to you you’ll be able to protect yourself.”

Only he’d never used a sword. It had never been necessary, and having it didn’t mean he’d be able to protect himself. Ber knew he was just as likely to injure himself with it as he was to injure whoever might be attacking him. Sighing, he pushed that thought aside too, telling himself sternly to focus. He still had a long way to go before Castle Town. Anything could happen to him, or to Shadow, and he needed to be ready for whatever might happen, even though he didn’t know if it was truly possible. When he’d spoken to his mother he’d assumed she’d give him something to sleep. Instead she’d sent him off on a journey that might end up being entirely pointless, because she seemed to believe he was going to be the hero Hyrule needed. He shook his head. Had someone told him that was going to happen he’d have laughed at them.


	3. The Journal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ber reads the first page of the journal.

With the darkness came Ber’s first true chance to read the journal his mother had given to him. For a long time he couldn’t bring himself to open it, even though he wanted to learn more about the person who had written it, in part due to his own fear. There was a chance what he read would be a sign he was the one who was needed, and that very thought was terrifying. He wasn’t ready to be the one. He didn’t think he would ever be ready to be the one, but, if he was… he shook his head. If he was all he could do was accept that. It wasn’t as though he had any other option. Slowly, his heart pounding, he opened the cover, seeing that hand writing once more. Had it not been for the fact his mother had given him the journal he might have thought he was the one to write it.

Breathing deeply, Ber turned to the next page. ‘ _ **I have been convinced, by several people, that it would be a good idea for those who come after me to read my story. Those people may well be right, so here I am. Had it not been for them I don’t believe I would ever have chosen to relive that time. Going through something so incredibly strange is not something most people would believe, and yet, as it happened to me, I know there is a chance there may be others who are going through a similar time. You see, if you are reading this, then you are one of my descendants. You are a descendant of one of the heroes of Light. There have been a number of us. We have all been called when Hyrule needed us.**_

‘ ** _Dreams were my first sign. There were of places I could never have imagined, of creatures I needed to fight, and of weapons that seemed like there was no chance they could be real. Have you had those dreams then there is a chance you may be one of us. A hero. One of those who was called by Hyrule to help it through a dark time. Now, those weapons are real. Finding them… to be honest I never once thought I would write something like this, and finding where to start, how to put this down in words, is one of the hardest things anyone has asked me to do. I have no clue where to start, but starting by telling you the weapons are real feels like a good place. I may be wrong. Maybe that doesn’t help you at all, but I am trying. I promise you I am trying to make this as easy for you as something like this can be. I know it’s not simple. Accepting you’re different is one of the hardest parts of all of this._**

‘ ** _If you have been called there will be a sign on your body. Part of the Triforce has become a part of you. You’ll know it, if you have it._** ’ Ber stared at the words for a moment, remembering the ‘birthmark’ he had on the inside of his thigh. It was something he believed he’d have to explain to a wife, in the future, only maybe that was never going to happen. ‘ _ **So, there are two signs already. The dreams, which are quite possibly the most useful sign, and the Triforce on your body. If you have them both then it’s most likely you are one of us, and that, I believe, is technically my fault.**_

‘ _ **Only I was talking about the weapons. Those things you don’t believe can possibly be real. I didn’t believe it, until I found the first of them, hidden deep within one of the old temples. Those old temples are where you will be going. In time you will come to understand what it is like to travel through them, and, honestly, it’s not something I would wish upon my worst enemy, let alone one of my descendants. Unfortunately there is nothing I can do to change who we are. The power was passed down to me from someone long before I lived, and I don’t doubt time will have passed since I was the hero. Now, you would have thought, as there has been one of us the weapons would be kept out, but that’s not the way it works. Those who have darkness in their souls have long wanted to steal the weapons of Light, and the Light doesn’t want that. Therefore it makes sure those weapons are safe from the wrong person. After every time they are used they are hidden again. By the hero of Light.**_

‘ _ **Had I not done it myself I doubt I would believe it, but it is true. The power of the Light is so strong that I did what I had to do. I put the weapons back where I got them from, for the next hero to collect, when Hyrule needed them. I am told there was once a group of people, the Sheikah, who watched over the weapons, only they are long gone now. I don’t know what happened to them. Had they not disappeared things would have been much simpler, but they did. Some believe the darkness took them. Other believe it was simply bad luck. To be honest it didn’t matter. What mattered was finding those weapons, because without the weapons of Light you are not going to be able to defeat the darkness. Defeat it, I say, as though that’s even possible. Considering the fact we are called to protect Hyrule over and over I don’t think there is ever going to be a time when we don’t have to fight the darkness.**_ ’

Sighing, Ber stared down at those last words. He was the next one chosen, if what he read was right, but he wasn’t going to be the last. There wasn’t going to be a last. Darkness was always going to exist, and there was nothing he could do about that. All he could do was what he had to do, to protect Hyrule, should he truly be the one, because he wasn’t the sort of person who would walk away.


End file.
